Back in my day we called them "pigs".
Yeh, back in my day, too. But now that particular epithet is offensive to swine of all backgrounds, and particularly to those in solidarity with them.
What then should we call them? Single syllables names get remembered and repeated. Leftist jargon gets ignored, forgotten, and misunderstood. But you're right, swine are honorable creatures. With very few exceptions, cops are not.
Is the word "cop" a pejorative? It is to me. They beat me, robbed me, and locked me up for something I didn't do, just to stop me from organizing resistance to an immoral, illegal war. Except for the CHIP that saved my life at some risk to his own, they're all miscreant scum. I never mourn when one of them dies.
Uvalde proved once and for all that cops are worse than useless, they're in the way. There's a name for people who rely on police to protect them. They're called "victims." Police have no obligation to protect us. The SCOTUS agrees.
See: Castle Rock v. Gonzales, 545 U.S. 748 (2005)
See also: DeShaney v. Winnebago County, 489 U.S. 189 (1989)
Bingo! An oldie but goodie. To bad that ageism gives it a negative connotation.